Page 132 of Untamed

I bring him close to my face. I feel unhinged, wild, feral. "She is my mate. No one and nothing on this earth, above or below, will ever take her from me again."

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40 - As Dark as the Moon’s Blindness

Willa

My nose wrinkles at the scent of the Lake. "Why are you in my nest?" I murmur into the pillow.

Twin snickers filter through the air. "We wanted to make sure he didn't kill you," One-Eye says with a laugh.

"Mactiir would never hurt me." The response falls from my lips as naturally as fall leaves to the ground, but something niggles at me. I try to burrow deeper in the covers, ignoring the feeling, but it persists until I remember. He drugged me, thatOgre. How... how...rude; insolent, churlish, disagreeable. Hmm... what should I do to him for drugging me? The garden offers plenty of possibilities...

"Not intentionally," One-Eye interrupts my planning, "but he skewered you with that giant d-"

"Elna!" Abbi-Wolf hisses.

"What? It's true. That thing could kill a lesser female," she adds thoughtfully, "he's big all over, our Alphason."

I crack open one eye to glare at the two females. I refuse to stir, yet. I won't tell them, but my body aches everywhere,especiallyin my secret place. Not that it matters, the drink Mactiir gave me makes my head too fuzzy to be awake.

And I'm mad. Really, reallyfurious; seething, incensed, outraged.

And I'm not in my nest. I'm in that horrid white cloud bed that smells like chemicals under Mactiir and me.

Maybe I can...

I have nothing. Oh well, something will come to me.

"Mactiir is back?" I ask them. I vaguely remember him stroking my hair, kissing my face. The curl of our bodies together, the whispered: "I love you, my Bliss."

But was that before he left to wander out into the Blood Moon night or after? Dumb male.

I won't ever get answers if I lie here. "Help me up," I murmur.

"What did they give you?" Abbi-wolf sounds terrified.

"Just a sleep aid," One-Eye is quick to reply. I doubt she knows what it was. She just wants to reassure Abbi-wolf. The female who still scents of the Lake is beside herself with anxiety.

"Here you go," One-Eye helps me up, pulling me into a sitting position. "Damn, bitch. He marked and bit you all over. You're like a checkerboard of red and blue."

"Or a flashing sign that says, 'I belong to the Alpha!'" Abbi-wolf giggles.

"Did you see Alpha's back? She got him good, too."

I finally open my eyes to glare at both females. "Why are you looking at my Mactiir?" I snap.

"We weren't!" One-Eye rushes to reassure me. The laughter is gone from her voice.

I grunt eloquently before tossing the covers off of my body and gasping. One-Eye is right; I do look like a checkerboard. All over my skin are red and purple marks. They're old enough that I know they're not from last night, either. These were left on me by my Ogre. I heave a sigh at the sight. Poor Mactiir when he sees me in the daylight. And I plan on making sure he sees me. We have things we need to discuss.

"Are you alright!" One-Eye sounds appropriately horrified now that the blankets aren't hiding my body.

"I need to go to the shower," I respond resolutely. I'll feel better in the warm water. I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, ignoring the various aches and twinges all over my body. I'm all sorts of bruised-up. I barely manage to hobble into the bathroom with the female's help.

The warm water feels beautiful. "I'll need to touch the forest to feel just right, but this is close."

"OK, Goldilocks," One-Eye smirks as Abbi-wolf giggles.

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